She plays the sexy prosecutor on "L.A. Law." He's the surgeon general of the United States. Her question is direct: "How do you more easily get AIDS? From oral sex, anal sex or vaginal sex?" The explicit nature of Susan Dey's question to Surgeon Gen. Dr. C. Everett Koop makes it clear this is not a made-for-television movie. But it will be included in a prime-time special, "The National AIDS Test--What Do You Know About Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome?"

A little arm-twisting can sure pay off. Lilly Tartikoff's relentless pursuit of guests to support her Fire and Ice Ball resulted in a celebrity-packed black-tie gala on Tuesday night at the Beverly Hilton that raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the new Revlon/UCLA Women's Cancer Research Program. Tartikoff was teased (good-naturedly, of course) for her strong-arm tactics in fund raising.

Yes, we've had "L.A. Law" to prepare us for this. But postbaby boomers will know they're really getting older when they watch Laurie Partridge, as a mother of four getting beaten up in some terribly vivid wife-abuse scenes, in the TV movie "Bed of Lies" (at 9 tonight on ABC, Channels 7, 3, 10 and 42). Susan Dey takes her shot at a Suh-thun accent here, even as she accidentally takes a fatal shot at her slap-happy on-screen husband.

A 14-year-old stabs a 19-year-old to death; a 16-year-old fractures the skull of a stranger. This is teen violence with a twist: The aggressors are female, not male, and their skyrocketing numbers are overwhelming the juvenile justice system. That's the subject of "Jennifer's in Jail," a disturbing "Your Family Matters" documentary at 9 tonight on the Lifetime cable channel. (It repeats Saturday at 10 p.m., Tuesday at 2 p.m. and Sept. 5 at 2 p.m.).

You may not quite grasp just how quickly ABC's topical TV movie "Whose Child Is This? The War for Baby Jessica" was turned around until the last scenes, one of which has a character ripping a page off the calendar to reveal the month of August. As in last month. As in perspective being a lost virtue in the age of docudrama-cum-Insta-Drama. So "Baby Jessica" (Sunday night at 9 on Channels 7, 3, 10 and 42) may win this month's Speed Racer award, but hold the Emmys.

Achieving success in any profession depends on ability, contacts, timing, attitude and a bit of luck. Writers can give their luck a nudge by reaching out to anyone who can gather them into the publishing fold. Such an opportunity will be offered at the Ventura County Writers Club annual Editors and Agents Seminar from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 23 at Casa Sirena, 3605 Peninsula Road, Channel Islands Harbor, Oxnard.